1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for erasing memory data and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for erasing important information from nonvolatile memory using an inertial measurement sensor and a low power microprocessor, regardless of the state of a power supply, when the embedded device is overturned.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are approaches to protect important data in a device from physical illegal tampering, such as opening, damage or cutting, when such activities are detected, as exemplified by incapacitating the memory device to be protected or erasing important information from the memory device.
Once a memory device storing important data to be protected is incapacitated, significant costs are required for reusing the memory device. Considering this, hence, an approach of erasing important data from the memory device itself may guarantee more effective security and safety.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the organization of a conventional device for erasing data from a memory device to protect against illegal tampering.
With reference to FIG. 1, the conventional device includes a cover 1 for protecting the device of interest, an illegal tampering detector 2 for detecting electric separation, a surface mounted device 3 to be protected, a circuit board 4 on which the device 3 is surface mounted, a connector 5, a controller 6 for erasing or incapacitating data, and a power supplier 7 for supplying electric power.
In FIG. 1, the device 3 is a memory apparatus in which data concerning security or authentication has been stored.
External impact, such as that attributed to the separation of the circuit board 4 from the cover 1 or the drilling of a hole through the cover 1, causes the connector 5 to separate from the contact, resulting in an electrical change which is readily detected by the illegal tampering detector 2. As soon as an illegal tampering signal from the illegal tampering detector 2 is received, the controller 6 erases or incapacitates data stored in the device 3 which must be protected from illegal tampering.
In addition, the cover 1 and circuit board 4 are combined with screws or other locking measures, and they can be separated for the purpose of repair by loosening the screws or releasing a locking mechanism.
The conventional memory erasing device shown in FIG. 1 is designed to operate a memory erasing function only in the case of a direct physical attack on the device. This design has the disadvantage of being unable to erase the memory at a phase before a physical attack. Another disadvantage is found in that the memory erasing function might not operate when abnormal manipulations other than illegal tampering such as opening, cutting or damaging the memory device occur.
Therefore, there is an urgent need for an approach for the safe and effective erasure of important data from a memory device to be protected at a stage before a physical attack (opening/cutting/damaging) on the memory device is made.
A prior art is disclosed in Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2013-0126804 which discloses a cover responsive to illegal tempering and abnormal manipulations to protect data in a protected device.